Natural Landscapes

Geography 132 & 132L
Physical Geography: Natural Landscapes
Lab IX
Chapter 10
(55 points)
Instructions

Read the information provided and answer the following questions
in this
document
.

All your answers should be submitted
in red
. The lab is due
Sunday, November
15
th
, at 11:59 pm
, in the dropbox folder
“Lab 9”
,
in pdf format
.

The grading of all your answers will be based on how much detail you provide. This
does not mean length. Go in depth and use the appropriate punctuation.

Do not use the expressions “I think”, or “I believe”. Base your answers on the
information you learned from your textbook.

Do not paraphrase the textbook
, use your
own words
to provide value to the
answer.

Add a reference page for your sources.

Always read
all
the instructions carefully.

Grading: the questions are worth 52 points, and 3 points are earned by following the
instructions provided above.
Chapter 10: Climate Change
Section 10.1: History of Carbon Emissions
1-
Explain the historical trend of carbon emissions:
(3 points)

History of Carbon Emissions
Section 10.2: Current and future environmental threats
Instructions
Read the following articles to answer the following questions:

Biggest Environmental Problems of our lifetime

Current Environmental Problems

NASA.gov/climate

Confronting future environmental challenges
Questions
2-
What are the most significant current and future environmental challenges?
(3
points)
3-
What is the main environmental concern in your region? Specify where you live.
(3
points)
4-
What are the implications with technology and the future threats of the planet?
(3
points)

BBC: What will the challenges of 2050 be
Section 10.3: UN Sustainable Development Goals
Instructions
Read the following articles and answer the questions below:

UN Sustainable Development Goals

UN Foundation: 9 Reasons why we need progress on climate action and SDG’s
Questions
5-
What are the SDG’s and why were they created?
(3 points)
6-
In your own words, how do you think the climate crisis is affecting reaching the
goals by 2030?
(3 points)
Now that you know what the SDG’s are and what they are trying to achieve, as well as
knowing what future problems the earth will be facing, answer the following questions.
These questions are for your future career as a professional. Think of the resources you will
be dealing with, the people, the projects, where the money will be coming from, what cause,
what purpose will be involved…
7-
How could your career contribute to a more sustainable future? If you don’t know
your plausible future profession yet, think of the field you will more likely fit into. Even
if you are undecided major, you could still chose an SDG that you would be interested in
contributing to and HOW you would do it based in your skills (for instance, do you
know a second language and would like to help educate people?) Use this same example
to answer the next question.
(3 points)
8-
How could your career contribute to a less sustainable future?
(3 points)
9-
Outside of your career, have you ever contributed directly or indirectly with the
SDG’? For instance, if you ever volunteered for a food pantry, that would be considered
contributing to SDG #1: Zero hunger. There are endless ways in which you can/could
have been a part of this, so just make sure you explain exactly what aspects of society
you are helping improve.
(3 points)
10-
What SDG would you like to contribute with, even if it is outside your career? For
instance, you may have a career in business but have the intention to volunteer to teach
girls to read in areas with no access to education. This would contribute to SDG #4:
Gender equality.
(3 points)
Section 10.4: Understanding and Comparing US performance in the Climate Crisis
Objectively or subjectively, it is claimed that the United States is the most (or amongst) the
most powerful nation in the world. The US is global leader in technology, investment in
research and science, and education. On the other hand, it is also the most polluting nation
per capita and it still operates with an economy dependent on the burning of fossil fuels. As
big power comes with great responsibility, the US is expected to contribute the same as
other developed nations, and even more, in the climate crisis. These approaches can be
understood by investing in renewable energy, executing plans to reduce carbon emissions,
implementing regulations in industries that are not sustainable, such as fossil fuel, plastic,
beef, etcetera.
Global efforts to reach the SDG’s depend critically in nations such as the United States to
collaborate in the fight to keep a safe and livable planet for future generations
.
This next activity is meant for you to look at the different angles on how the US has
approached the climate crisis, in the recent past, and to understand what the implications
of those actions are.
11-
Read the following material and explain some of the concerns after the US dropped
out of the Paris agreement in 2017
(3 points).

New York Times: Paris Climate Agreement

Foreign Policy: Paris Climate Agreement United States Withdraw

Nature: US Withdraws from Paris Agreement

Washington Post: Climate Change Election Paris Agreement
12-
Use the Climate Change Performance Index to compare the United States with the
rest of the world. For each variable, explain where the US stands:
(6 points)

Climate Performance Index

NewClimate.org
i.
Greenhouse Gasses Emissions:
ii.
Use of Energy:
iii.
Use of Renewable Energy:
iv.
Climate Policy:
v.
C
onclusion
of results:
13-
Use the climate action tracker and explain where the US stands. You can simply see
this on the map provided on the main page, but you are more than welcome to open the
country’s report and look into what policies are being implemented to change or
remain in this situation. Also, feel free to explore the sources used for this research.
(3
points)

Climate Action Tracker
14-
Read the following publication by the WHO and explain how the environmental
crisis is and will affect human wellbeing, ultimately leading to social
unrest (4 points)

World Health Organization: Ecosystem Services
Section 10.5: Concluding analysis

UN Environment: Our Planet Our Future
15-
Analyze and discuss
three
reasons
why
many environmental problems are now
considered
global
rather simply regional or local in nature, citing
one specific example
per each reason
.
Do this in bullet points
.
These reasons do not need to be straight
from the book. I expect you to add your own understanding and connections between
the issues. You may also consider how the life of animals has changed due to the climate
crisis, such as what you read about how the Pika is affected by global rising
temperatures
(3 points).
16-
Name 5 examples in which
you
(not humans in general, simply you) can take action
on climate change. This list can be as inclusive as you want it to be, from bringing up
ideas of reducing amount of beef consumption, to voting for officials who intent to join
global cooperation to mitigate the risks of the climate crisis
(3 points)